


Darling

by akatsuki_tsukiyomi (Yumi25Nakashima)



Series: First Blush [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Awkward Romance, Bad Cooking, F/M, Flirting, Hetalia Countries Using Human Names, Mutual Pining, Pining, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28524702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yumi25Nakashima/pseuds/akatsuki_tsukiyomi
Summary: Waking up in an unfamiliar bedroom, the charming British gentleman helps (F/n) sort things out.
Relationships: England (Hetalia)/Reader
Series: First Blush [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2089500
Kudos: 8





	Darling

**Author's Note:**

> (F/N) - Reader's First Name  
> (L/N) - Reader's Last Name  
> Arthur Kirkland - England's official human name

(F/n) opened her bleary eyes to stare drowsily at the mahogany ceiling. A thick duvet was pulled up to her shoulders, enveloping the girl in its warm embrace. The faint smell of mint and a familiar perfume wafted around the bedroom, flashing vague memories into her mind. She couldn't quite place her finger on whose perfume she was smelling, but she had an inkling that it was someone she had recently been with.

After a while of simply laying under the warm sheets, a new scent permeated through the room, overpowering the mint and mysterious perfume. (F/n) blinked a couple of times, trying to clear up her foggy and sleepy mind and make sense of what she was smelling. Her eyes widened once she realized that it was the faint smell of smoke. _Something was burning!_

In a panic, she got to her feet, throwing the duvet off her, and ran towards the door. Just before her hand could lay upon the brass handle, it turned and the door swung open, leaving her to trip over her own feet in surprise and tip forward as she fell off balance. A pair of sturdy arms caught her right as she let out an undignified squeak of terror, making her face turn beet-red. She whipped her head up to look at her saviour and gasped in disbelief as she was met with familiar green eyes that were in as much shock as her eyes were.

" _Arthur_?" she questioned loudly, startling the man even more. Why was he in her flat, and entering her bedroom? They had not agreed to meet, much less in her abode, so there was no reason for his uninvited visit. She had not even given him a spare key, and the only spare she had was with her landlady. More importantly, what was _burning_? Remembering her earlier perturbation, (F/n) scrambled out of his arms and past the blond. "Did, did you smell something burning just now? Oh god, Mrs. Davies will _kill_ me if I left the stove on!"

"Wait, (F/n)! Calm down!" Arthur caught her wrist and pulled her back to him, placing his hands on her shoulders to root her in place. Her frantic eyes searched his for answers but he spoke no further, instead lifting a hand and stroking her hair. Her erratic breathing soon became calmer at his ministrations, but the anxiety was still bubbling in her chest from her unanswered questions. "That's it, love. Breathe, relax. Mrs. Davies isn't here and you didn't leave the stove on. We're in my flat, remember?"

(F/n) stared up at him blankly and not understanding a word he had just said. _His_ flat? How could they be in _his_ flat? How could _she_ be in his flat? She continued their blank stare off before bits and pieces of her memory soon came free from their sleep-induced cages and realization dawned upon her. The night prior, she had gone to a friendly get-together at Roderich and Eliza's with several other close friends. When she was heading home, Arthur offered to walk her to the underground when she refused a drive back to her flat but it had started pouring in the middle of their walk. They ran back and took shelter outside a local pub and waited for the heavy rain to subside. It didn't show any signs of dying down anytime soon, and so Arthur offered to let (F/n) stay the night in his flat which was not far from where they were.

Deciding it was the better option, she accepted his offer, and there they were the morning after.

Letting out a sigh of relief once Arthur understood that his companion finally recalled the events of the night prior, he pulled his hands away from her and smiled softly. "Do you remember now, love?"

(F/n) paused, trying to suppress the needy whine she was tempted to make when his touch went away and gave a silent nod. 

"But wait," she said, looking up at him. "What did I smell then? I could've sworn I smelt something burning..."

She trailed off as Arthur looked away from her curious gaze with an embarrassed sheepish smile. Her heart skipped a beat at his adorable reaction that he tried yet failed to cover up by feigning composure. He cleared his throat awkwardly and explained in a small voice, "I was going to try and cook something for us to eat before you woke up but... Well, I think you can put two and two together to figure out how that turned out."

His cheeks were burning a rosy pink as he avoided her eyes and instead found solace in staring at one of the paintings that hung on the wall. Equally embarrassed by having to put him in an awkward situation, the frazzled girl stammered out her apologies as she looked down at her feet. Her face was starting to grow warmer and she felt as if she would melt if he looked right at her.

Arthur let out a few coughs, trying to dissipate the tense atmosphere, and shrugged his shoulders in an attempt to appear casual as he asked, "In any case, we obviously can't eat here, so why don't you let me take you out for _l-lunch_?"

He grimaced to himself as his voice cracked right at the end of his sentence and tried to salvage his pride by letting out a few more coughs and clearing his throat. (F/n) gave a shy nod and Arthur felt himself wanting to jump up to the heavens and thank the whole world that his embarrassing cooking fiasco did not destroy his chances with the girl of his dreams.

A warm smile tugged at his lips as he clapped his hands together in well-hidden excitement. "Brilliant! Shall we go to your flat first to, well, to..." he trailed off, blushing as he gestured towards her clothes. Only then did (F/n) realize that she wasn't in the clothes she had worn to the party and was instead in a plain white shirt that was at least two sizes too big for her and comfortable cotton pyjamas that ran down the length of her legs and pooled at her feet. It was a surprise that she didn't trip over the fabric when she raced out of Arthur's room.

"Oh, right! Of course, yes, um, I'll just get my clothes then?" Arthur nodded and gestured to the open doorway politely. "I'll be in the kitchen cleaning up if you need me."

She gave him a smile and went off on her way.

**\---**

"Here we are then," Arthur said softly, almost reluctantly, as he parked at the side of the street near (F/n)'s flat. Silence followed, neither of them making a sound or a move until (F/n) finally decided to take off her seat belt. 

"Thank you for driving me back, and taking me out for lunch, and of course letting me stay the night,"(F/n) said gratefully, smiling at him. Arthur looked at her, at the twinkle in her eyes that the warm sunlight gave, at the slight dimple near the corner of her lips, at the perfect way she smiled. 

"Not a problem, love." Ah, how he loved calling her that. She would always, _always_ ,flush ever so slightly and duck her head, as if it was always the first time she'd been called so. It was always such a pleasantly adorable spectacle for Arthur to behold. Seeing her flustered made it better to swallow down all the embarrassing moments he's had when she was around. An eye for an eye.

"We should do this again someday. It was really nice Arthur, I had a great time," (F/n) stated happily. He smiled at that, pride welling in his chest. He took her hand gently, making the girl stiffen at his soft touch. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against her knuckles, his eyes never leaving hers for a second. 

"Likewise," he replied, replacing his lips with his thumb and stroking her hand in a breathtakingly romantic way that made (F/n) swoon.

The low tone of his voice had threatened to melt her very being, and she swore she could listen to him talk all day about anything and he would still have the same effect on her. And not to mention the accent, oh she can't even begin to describe his accent; his wonderful accent that just made his speech all the more flawless.

They stared at each other, neither of them making a move to turn away, and almost looking as still as a photograph. The loud barking of a dog caught both of them off guard, Arthur immediately letting go of (F/n)'s hand, and her turning to face the street in front of her. Their cheeks were flushed and their pulses were racing. It took every ounce of the both of them not to shout profanities at the innocent dog who had ruined their perfect moment. 

"Would you," Arthur started to say but hesitated. He sucked in a breath and mustered up enough courage to look at the woman next to him again. "Would you like to join me for dinner? Tomorrow night, if it's alright. I'd, well, I'd love to be in your company again."

"I'd love to, Mr Kirkland,"(F/n) teased, enjoying his nervous glance that soon turned embarrassed as he looked away again. Taking in another breath and looking as if he'd aged ten years from her statement, he took her hand in his and gave it another soft peck. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Ms (L/n)."

She smiled and they said their goodbyes before she finally stepped out of the vehicle. Just as she was opening the front door, she heard the sound of the passenger door's window slide open and looked over her shoulder to see Arthur leaning forward to see her.

"I'd love for you to stay in my flat, but I'm afraid I'm going to take you outside for dinner tomorrow. Nothing too formal, a dress will do nicely on you, darling. I'll be waiting."

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally published in Wattpad on Dec 13, 2014.


End file.
